An 88-year-old World War II veteran who took a bullet to the leg while serving in the Pacific was beaten to death by two teens in Spokane, Wash., in what police are calling a “random” assault.

Delbert Belton, a retired aluminum company worker affectionately known as “Shorty,” was standing outside a lounge where he often played pool on Wednesday when two assailants approached and started beating him, police said. He died on Thursday from the head injuries he suffered.